"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated January 02, 1927:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (JANUARY 26, 2022):
This is only one of two #LittleNemo strips that would be published in 1927 and it continues the trend of returning to some of McCay's greatest hits. - 1/18
Let's start from the beginning shall we? - 2/18
I'll admit that I had to re-read the first tier a couple of times before I understood it… because Nemo is being uncharacteristically cautious here and has to be prodded into joining the fun by the Princess! - 3/18
This simply doesn't jive with the adventure seeking Nemo that we have recently followed… what gives? - 4/18
It took me only a moment of consideration (at which time I wondered if maybe the tails had been mixed up) to remember that when we first met Nemo, he was much less confident, and far more fearful, than he is at present. - 5/18
It's a bit of an odd callback (maybe not even one that was done intentionally), but I was instantly drawn back to the earliest of strips when Nemo was literally afraid of everything… - 6/18
He hadn't yet gotten used to Slumberland and it's whimsy so things frightened him… by now, he should know that the cave is safe (even if it isn't) and the Nemo we know more recently wouldn't question following Flip and the boys in. - 7/18
This isn't a criticism so much as it is support for our continued thinking that McCay is intentionally retreading some of the beats and ideas he's used in Nemo previously as a sort of "Coda," if you will. - 8/18
Further to that point, I was pleased to actually see a denizen of Slumberland here! When was the last time we saw one of these fanciful gentlemen scurrying around? It has to have been years! - 9/18
This particular one is a member of Jack Frost's court! Many of you will remember Jack Frost from one of the most gorgeous strips from the early years: - 10/18
I like this inclusion because, as many have criticized McCay for over the years, the latter strips always blurred the lines a bit too strongly between Slumberland and America… we lost the magic separation that used to exist and the two become somewhat inseparable… - 11/18
With the return of Jack Frost, we are reminded that Slumberland is *not* America and that there is magic and spectacle there that simply does not exist in the real world. - 12/18
It reminds us of the brilliance of McCay's creation. I, for one, immediately recalled defeating Candy-Eating Giants, playing with mermaids, heading to Jack's palace upon Jumbo's back, trekking with the Princess, Flip (and Rose/Granny Hag) to see Santa, and so much more. - 13/18
These magical moments were replaced in the later years by some more direct social commentary (which, again, I'm not criticizing) that it would seem (at least for McCay) necessitated the removal of the more magical and whimsical elements of his strip. - 14/18
We moved from magic to technology, from (Dre)America to Americaland… it's a small and simply gesture here, but it evoked some meaningful nostalgia in me. - 15/18
The narrative itself is basic fare… the gang enjoys a dinner (of very cold things) together one more time before next week's end. - 16/18
It's simultaneously sad and poetic that the strip before the end features a supper… the last supper? I won't look too deeply into the possible theological reading here… though I'll admit that I'm tempted. - 17/18
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #548. What's yours? - 18/18